Hoewel Hamas heeft 'gescoord' met het openbreken van de grens twee weken geleden, is Fatah nog altijd een stuk populairder, zowel in Gaza als op de Westelijke Jordaanoever. Waarom het NOS Journaal en anderen blijven suggereren dat juist Hamas veel steun heeft onder de Palestijnen, is me een raadsel. Het lijkt soms vooral alsof Hamas populair is onder Westerse journalisten.
The Shin Bet chief also talked about the tenuous balance of power between Hamas and Fatah, saying that in recent months it has tipped in Hamas's favor. Referring to a survey which was conducted at Al-Najah University in Nablus, Diskin said that Hamas now enjoys 16% support amongst the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza combined, up from 13 percent in November, 2007. Conversely, Fatah's popularity fell from 44% in November, to 38 percent today.
Ratna
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Diskin: Gaza breach allowed influx of advanced armament
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Diskin: Gaza breach allowed influx of advanced armament
Herb Keinon , THE JERUSALEM POST
Hamas's breach of the security fence along the Egypt-Gaza border has resulted in the smuggling of a large amount of advanced weaponry, including long-range rockets, anti-tank missiles, and anti-aircraft missiles, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) head Yuval Diskin said in his briefing to ministers during Sunday's cabinet meeting.
In a sobering assessment of the situation, Diskin said that the breach also allowed dozens of operatives from all of the different terror organizations in Syria, Iran, and Egypt to infiltrate into Gaza. He said that these operatives were likely trained in Iran, and crossed the border with the aim of upgrading terror attacks against Israel.
The Shin Bet chief also talked about the tenuous balance of power between Hamas and Fatah, saying that in recent months it has tipped in Hamas's favor. Referring to a survey which was conducted at Al-Najah University in Nablus, Diskin said that Hamas now enjoys 16% support amongst the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza combined, up from 13 percent in November, 2007. Conversely, Fatah's popularity fell from 44% in November, to 38 percent today.
While Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is interested in taken control of the crossing, Hamas also wants a role in the policing efforts, Diskin said. He explained that the Islamic organization has been bolstered by the euphoria which followed last week's breach, and now wants a presence at the crossing. He added that Hamas would agree to European Union monitors in the area, so long as they do not live in Israel.
Speaking about the noticeable drop in Kassam rocket attacks in the past week, Diskin warned that it was not due to a change in Hamas policy, but rather a result of the group being distracted by all of the activity surrounding the breach in the security wall.
During the briefing, a number of ministers - including Defense Minister Ehud Barak - called for the speedy construction of a border fence spanning the Egypt-Israel border. According to Barak, the most important places to begin this construction was near the western Negev community of Nitzana, and around Eilat.
On another matter, Diskin harshly criticized the Palestinian Authority legal system for the way they handled the Hebron Hills murderers. Calling the trial of the two Palestinians who had shot and killed two Israelis in December "a farce," he explained that both were originally sentenced to life in prison, but then given a reduced sentence of 15 years. However, after realizing that that such a sentence might be problematic diplomatically, the court added on another ten years, and claimed that it did so because the convicts had "harmed Palestinian interests."
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